Apologise To Jonathan, Group Tells Amaechi

The Middle Belt Reconnaissance, MBR, has called on Governor Rotimi Amaechi to publicly apologize to President Goodluck Jonathan over the feud between them and to resign from the politics of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, forthwith.

The Group’s position was contained in an open letter to the governor, a copy of which was given to Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday.

According to the Middle Belters, the strained relationship between Gov Amaechi and President Jonathan was being fueled by Northern power brokers determined to take over power by 2015 and has become an embarrassment not only to the people of the Middle Belt but all minorities in the country.

“We have watched with amazement, the theatre of the absurd. It is public knowledge that the issue at stake is the presidency in 2015, which some self-seeking and unpatriotic individuals in the north insisted, must be occupied by one of their own and in pursuant of this objective, various arsenal including extreme acts of violence had been deployed to abort President Jonathan’s tenure since his emergence in 2011, but the efforts had been futile.

“In the circumstances, we were constrained to write you this open letter, not only to express our displeasure with some northern elements bent on robbing the minorities of our God-given presidency, but also to serve you notice that we shall no longer sit on the fence and watch you trade our future to the north for whatever reason.

“Consequently, we hereby request that you withdraw from the politics of the Nigeria Governors Forum. It is our further demand that you tender an unreserved apology to His Excellency, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and the minorities of this country for the agony and embarrassment you’ve caused us”, the body said.

According to the MBR, “the recent decision of the Middle Belt leaders to publicly endorse President Jonathan for a second term was not primarily an act of politicking, but a genuine recognition of the success of his transformation agenda and developmental strides in our region, as well as to demonstrate our support for his leadership”.

The group warned that if Gov. Amaechi failed to meet their demands, it would take legal actions against him.

The MBR letter was signed by its interim Coordinator, Mr. Kaunum Terrence and 10 others.